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BRN to add oral‑fluid testing option; enforcement updates show longer case timelines and staffing measures
Summary
Enforcement Division Chief Shannon Johnson told the board Aug. 21 that an addendum to allow oral‑fluid testing for probationers is being processed, and that BRN enforcement units are addressing increased case ages and staffing gaps that raised average closure time to about 740 days in the last fiscal year.
Shannon Johnson, Enforcement Division Chief for the California Board of Registered Nursing, told the board on Aug. 21, 2025, that the board voted on May 29 to accept oral‑fluid testing as an acceptable method of random drug testing for probationers and intervention participants and that staff are now processing a contract addendum with the testing vendor.
"It's really to be used as an alternative in maybe emergency type situations or where another testing type is not available," Johnson said, describing oral‑fluid testing as an option for participants who cannot get to a testing site. She said participants must have the oral‑fluid kit available and that follow‑up testing may still be used when warranted.
Johnson gave a broader enforcement update: the complaint intake unit is using complaint prioritization and referral guidelines (CPRG) and holding regular cross‑unit triage meetings; the discipline unit moved nonformal citations back to the discipline unit in April; and the probation unit has completed a video and FAQs in preparation for an updated website. Johnson said monitors average about 48 cases each, which she described as manageable.
She also reported an increase in case age: for the most recent fiscal year that ended Feb. 2025, average days to complete a case rose to about 740 from roughly 529 in prior years. Johnson attributed the rise to several causes, including the loss of a discipline manager and an analyst, temporary slowdowns in fast‑track (paper) cases, and an increase in in‑house investigation time.
On investigations, Assistant Executive Officer Yvonne Leonard Tapps described a pilot launched June 10 that assigns an associate government program analyst (AGPA) to gather preliminary information and requests for data before a special investigator is assigned. Special investigators remain capped at a 30‑case assignment limit; Leonard Tapps said full‑time SIs currently average about 29 active cases and that supervisors and limited‑term staff are helping handle caseload pressure. She noted the use of retired annuitants, who are limited to 960 hours per year.
Board members asked how oral‑fluid testing would work for nurses who must travel in emergencies; Johnson said the test is intended as a temporary alternative, not an exclusive testing method, and that coordination with the vendor is required for kits and processing.
The board did not take formal action on these information items but heard that staff are recruiting expert practice consultants and continuing workflow mapping with the Office of Organizational Improvement to identify efficiencies.
